Manistee River Trail Loop is another great option. At a 25 mile loop, its the perfect 2-3 day hiking adventure. The only fees are parking and dispersed camping is allowed. One side is the MRT and the other side is the NCT. I hope this helps with your planning as an additional option.

Hey glitch99, Bald mountain is a favorite of mine as well. Its the perfect distance to stretch your legs and get in a god hike to test gear. Another place I would recommend in the metro-Detroit area would be the loop on Holly rec area. It's Wilderness Trail (6.4) combined with the Holly-Lakeshore ...

Hopefully there's no escapees in attempts to go home. I thought about that too. And with nobody on the island this winter, pretty hard to know what's going on. I suppose if a collared wolf left IR, somebody may know about it. But that's just a guess. They will definitely be able to check in on that ...

Gravity filters are so very, very worth it. I have a Platypus GravityWorks and even bring it with me on solo trips. I also use the GravityWorks filtration system. I love using it and had no trouble on any of my previous trips. The bags make a nice source of additional water capacity if you need ...

It was truly incredible to see the distances this wolf covered over the past few years both on and off island. I am curious to see how the pack dynamics will develop over the next few years. I am not sure if this article has been posted but they had a September update detailing that the current ...

That is beautiful Chief! What was your camera set up and settings to capture that beauty?

I was planning on getting a slightly smaller one than the one I currently have. The one that I have is great for all weather but I think I can make due with a smaller pad that packs up better and is a little bit lighter. The REI one looks pretty nice. Has anyone tried cableas ultra instinct pad ...

Hello Everyone! I am incredibly excited for my trip to the island at the end of June. I currently have a great 4 season sleeping pad, Thermarest Neoair All Season SV. With and R value of 4.9, It has been a great pad and has served me well. Looking at the average temperatures for June and July, I ...

I have always used Cafe Bustelo on backpacking trips. It's definitley not my favorite option so I have even branched out to tea when backpacking. I have started looking into coffee tea bags though. Has anyone tried these before? and how do they compare to instant?

I will have to give those permethrin alternatives a try. I have had mixed success with pretreating clothes. the Picardin method also interests me as a DEET alternative. Thank you for everyone's advice!

Hello Everyone, I am planning to take a trip onto the island towards the end of June, (Jun 21-25). I have heard from several people on this forum say that the bugs can be quite ferocious this time of year. I was wondering if anyone had tried pretreating their clothes with permethrin or some other ...

The OR Gaiters look very nice. It will be incredibly nice for a change to stop some of the mud and rocks from getting into my boots to irritate me on trail! It also sounds like a lot of my decision making is going to be an on the fly decision when we arrive. I remember from the last time that I was ...

Thanks everybody for the advice. I will definitely be an early riser on this trip, it is much easier when your already an early riser for work! I will definitely take into account the potential plane issues that were brought up as well. @base654 what gaiters do your use? I am looking for new gaiters ...

I thought I would add a fun little weekend trip for those looking do some hiking, fishing, birding, stargazing, XC skiing, or snowshoeing that I have been able to visit a few times. The Mason Tract Pathway, Located in the Huron National Forest, is the perfect destination for those in the lower ...

I am fairly experienced with backpacking. I have Backpacked all of PRNL, The Manistee River Loop, and sections of the Porcupine Mountains. My current fitness level is below where it would need to be for this trip but I've set time aside from now until then to get back into trail shape. When I was ...